Stepping back

So, for the last week or so, I have been in a writing slump with my WIP. I still love it, but my characters are being extremely stubborn and only talking to me about scenes way ahead of where I am. Not very helpful and it's leaving me quite frustrated. I might do another free write, just to get it down, but I'm trying really hard to work straight through so that I have a solid, working first draft. Wish me luck that they'll be a little nicer to me so I can make progress again.

Also, I think I've been focusing too much on getting it done so it can be published. I know, I accepted Andrea's challenge, but it's putting my focus on the wrong part of the process, and I think it's contributing to my slump. I'm too focused on what other people will think, I'm not focused on just writing what I like; my story the way I want it told. So, I'm going to give my creative self some space and try to just think about writing the story for me. Not for anyone else. I think it will come out better too. Lately I feel like it's too forced, which makes me sad. I'm hoping to get a night once a week where I can turn on my music and disappear into my head for a few hours. I haven't done that in a long time, and I miss it. It's been way too busy around here.

Also contributing to my lack of progress (I know, there's a lot) is I have a new idea that's distracting me. It's a mixture of an old idea and a new one, which I feel makes for a new, even better idea. It's rolling around in my head and now those characters are starting to talk to me as well. It's getting very distracting in my head to be honest. So, since I'm paranoid I'm going to forget it, I'm doing a free write for this new idea. It's weird because usually I focus on one thing at a time, but I'm actually going to attempt to work on both the new idea and WIP until the free write for the new idea is done. Then, once it's safely stored in my computer and thumb drive, hopefully I can leave it alone and get back to my main WIP. Wish me luck.

And, last but not least, if you haven't headed over to Once Upon a Distraction you really should. All of our February stories are up, and I must say, they are pretty good for our first time. The theme for February was trauma (dealing with it, overcoming it, etc), just in case you were curious. Next month is more fun. In honor of Andrea - who LOVES 311 - March's theme is to use a 311 song as the title for the story. I have to say, I was surprised by what I came up with, because it has nothing to do with the song, so I'm curious to see what the girls come up with for their stories. And there's an awesome contest going right now to win a signed copy of Matched by Ally Condie. So really, you should check it out.

Oh, and just because I just finished it and it was incredible - everyone needs to read Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver. This book blew me away and I was crying by the end. The story was so amazing and so...relevant to life that I just can't get over it's awesomeness. I borrowed it from the library, but I'll definitely be buying my own copy in the future. And I'm making Casie read it. Really. It's amazing.

That's it for me at the moment. Until next time, happy reading and happy writing!!!

Ding Dong, the Witch is Dead

K, well, maybe not a witch, but my writer's block is gone! Hooray!

While I was waiting for my characters to start talking to me again, I looked for any kind of inspiration I could. I watched some good (and not so good) movies, and read a bunch of books - taking notes on things I liked and didn't like so I could apply it to my own writing. And then I read a book that helped me break through my wall.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins.

To say it's a delicious morsel of YA romance is an understatement. In my opinion, it got everything right. I LOVED Anna. I wanted her to be real so we could become friends. She was smart and sassy and her inner dialogue was HILARIOUS. I was constantly laughing or giggling out loud. Her love interest - St. Clair - was fabulous and witty and completely charming. While they had chemistry right away, I love that they became friends first. They had a wonderful friendship and it just made the book that much better for me. There was plenty of conflict and subplots to keep everything moving and the ending made me sigh with delight and contentment. It was perfect. Absolutely perfect.

Anyway, reading this fantastic book gave me back my desire to write again. Immediately after finishing, my characters started talking to me again and my mind was flooded with scenes and dialogue that it was almost overwhelming. And the next day I wrote 4800 words!! In ONE DAY!! It's not perfect, but I'm happy. And I'm learning that it's my first draft, so it doesn't have to be perfect right now. What's important is to get it all out, then I can go back as many times as I need to to polish it up and make it just right. That realization helps me to not feel so intimidated by the awesomeness of other authors. Someday, I'll be awesome too. : )

Anyway, I have another critique group with the girls tonight, and that always helps with motivation too. Andrea is working on her second draft and I'm loving her details and descriptions. It makes me jealous because I have the worst time describing things. I can see it in my head, but I struggle to put it in words. And Aubrey is still working through her free write and the stuff she's coming up with is intensely emotional and beautifully written. When she puts it all together as a book, it's going to be amazing.

I'll try to post later this week with some musical inspiration when I'm not busy writing, because my head is still buzzing with new material. Until then, happy writing!